The Defense Minister’s Visit to the United States: the Need for a Breakthrough on the KF-X

It wouldn’t be an overstatement to consider the upcoming summit meeting on Oct. 16 between the U.S. and South Korea a key moment that will determine the diplomatic success or failure of President Park Geun-hye’s administration. Now that the United States and Japan have joined hands to hedge against China, South Korea desperately needs, now more than ever, skillful diplomacy to protect its national interests. Key issues regarding the U.S. and South Korea, like the North Korean nuclear program, need to go beyond the showy rhetoric of a partnership that ‘not even a ray of light can seep in between’ and come up with practical solutions.

This official visit will include current Minister of Defense Han Min-goo. The minister of defense accompanying the president overseas is unprecedented. Usually when the president is overseas, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of State will accompany her, and the minister of defense will stay at home to prepare for possible provocations from the North. Yesterday, during Minister Han’s parliamentary review session, the issue of the KF-X [Editor’s Note: A fighter plane from a South Korean firm] took center stage. Although previously approved by the U.S. government, it has now been rejected because of technical issues. Minister Han acknowledged that, “Although the technical limitations were known, the fault that we proceeded without review lies with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, the Army, and the Ministry of Defense.” If that is the case, Minister Han must use this visit to find a breakthrough solution.

The KF-X issue was brought up in discussion when the Saenuri Party Floor Leader Yoo Seung-min asked Minister Han about the program. Minister Han showed no urgency, responding that, “A letter requesting cooperation was sent to the U.S. Department of Defense, and sooner or later when the response arrives, we’ll carefully review it.” The KF-X, a program in the works for more than a decade that was designed to defend Korean airspace, could possibly turn into a scrap project. If we can’t discuss this type of critical issue, what meaning is there to the concrete U.S.-Republic of Korea Alliance? Not only Minister Han, but also Foreign Minister Yoo Byung-se, who often boasts about the strength of the U.S.-RoK Alliance, and President Park all need to address this KF-X issue in order to cooperate for peace and stability in Northeast Asia and expand global partnerships.

The U.S.-South Korea Summit Meeting was originally scheduled in June, but was delayed due to the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (or MERS) situation. Therefore, the U.S. opened its summit meetings with Japan in April and China in September. During that time, Japan renewed its Guidelines for Defense Cooperation and negotiated the Trans-Pacific Partnership. China emphasized cooperation in competition and reiterated a commitment to a “nuclear-free Korean peninsula.” For President Park, because of U.S. perceptions that South Korea will fall into China’s sphere of influence, the issues regarding the installation of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense in South Korea must be discussed. The issue of Japanese collective self-defense regarding the Korean peninsula and the possibility of South Korea joining the TPP also merit a frank discussion to address and remove any uncertainties. Moreover, in order to block the possibility of provocations by North Korea, it is critical now that South Korea sends a powerful message.